Delete
by ForThem
Summary: AU. Holiday had told Rex that he would eventually lose his memory, but he never, ever thought it would be like this.
1. Elevator Trouble

Aha! a new story for the Generator Rex category. This was a fun one to write, and ive got a few more ideas up my sleeve for chapter two. The character focus here is (you guessed it) rex, and his interactions with others. Hmm, I tried to keep Rex in character, but he really isn't the angst-y kinda guy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Generator Rex, just the angst I stuff into my stories. :)

Enjoy!

* * *

Some days were absolutely great.

Rex would breeze through training, hang with Noah, hit on Holiday, and escape his 'Nanny'. He'd mess around in the petting zoo, annoy White, play some video games with Bobo, and everything in between. Rex was young, and the world was at his fingertips.

But that wasn't every day.

Rex doesn't really remember when it all started, just that one day, he had to slow down. It was the little things at first; just forgetting where he left his shoes, or being unable to recall a new recruit's name. But soon those little things began to get out of hand. Rex would be searching for a video game for hours and then suddenly forget what he was looking for. He would end up skipping meals because he forgot to go to the cafeteria when it was open. A few times Rex even forgot some of his trademark Spanish words.

He never really thought much of it, until that one day with Noah…

0101010101010101010101010101

The two of them were running to Providence's indoor gymnasium to shoot a few hoops on the court. Usually the duo would be outside enjoying the warm sunshine. However, Mother Nature didn't want to agree with them today, choosing instead to flood the neighborhood with torrents of rain. They were being reckless, literally careening through the halls at a breakneck speed. They decided to race to the gym, both taking what they believed to be the fastest route, and whoever lost had to buy the sodas afterward. Rex, who had lived at Providence for years, knew the best shortcuts and was sure he would win.

If he used the old shuttle elevators at the end of the hall, he should be able to get there first. The newer, central shuttle elevators were always too crowded, and trying to run down all those flights of stairs (like he figured Noah would do) would take too long. Almost no one used the old elevator, so it would be a quick drop to the first floor. Not only would he win and get a soda, but Noah would be out of breath. Haha, score.

He pushed the down button and stepped into the elevator, listening to the doors close behind him. With a huge victory grin slapped on his face, he spun around on his heels, index finger ready to dramatically hit the right floor's button.

But then he paused.

His smile slowly faded as he looked at the 20-something buttons. When had there been so many floors in Providence? Rex's brows furrowed together as he tried to recall the right number. He had gone to the gym hundreds of times, he should know this. Rex chewed on his lip as he stared at the rows of buttons. Should he get out and ask someone? That would surely waste his time, not to mention make him look like an idiot, asking a stranger for directions in a place he's lived for most of his life.

Time was running out for Rex, and he knew if he didn't do something quick, he would lose the race. He paced back and forth in the tiny space for a few seconds, weighing his options. Finally, he decided to just pick one and hope for the best. He turned to the panel and was about to choose, when he paused again. He blinked a few times, trying to overcome the fog that seems to have settled in his brain. He was looking at the panel, at the rows of perfect little circles with numbers, the same panel that he has seen since, well, ever. Rex's heart skipped a beat.

He didn't know how it worked.

A small shiver of panic ran down his spine. Should he try hitting one of the little circles? What would that do? Rex screwed his face up in concentration, trying to remember something, anything about this little box of a room. He could vaguely recall a situation involving an elevator… shooting upwards so fast he was plastered to the floor. And explosions…?

Ok, maybe touching things wasn't such a great idea.

He could use his nanites. But then again, what would he ask the machine to do? Where did he want to go? What if he messed up, and was sent hurdling upwards to his death? Rex sighed and rubbed his eyes. He glanced around the elevator, looking for the answer. It was right about then that he began to realize how small this little room really was. He had already been in there for what seemed like ages; what if he ran out of air? What if he could never get out? The walls seemed to be inching closer to him, and every time Rex looked back at the panel, there seemed to be more and more buttons.

So there Rex was, trapped in a box.

After another agonizing moment of panic, Rex whipped out his smackhands, ready to tear the doors open. At the same moment, a little bell went off in the cabin, and the doors slid open to reveal one of Providence's scientists, casually looking over some charts. Upon seeing Rex standing battle ready in the elevator, the poor man jumped and spilled coffee all over his lab coat. Rex scrambled out of the tiny room as fast as he could, gulping down fresh air. His hands folded in on themselves, and he ran a few shaky fingers through his hair. He heard the man mutter something about crazy teenagers, and the door slide shut once more. Quickly glancing behind him, Rex gathered his thoughts and made his way to the stairs. Maybe he shouldn't use elevators for a while. Stairs were healthier anyway…

After finding a map and burning it into his mind, Rex began sulking down the stairs to the first floor. What the heck just happened? He was fine one moment, and then he… just wasn't. This had never happened before, and he was kinda freaked out. Should he see Holiday? He recalled how overwhelmed she had been the past few days with some new nanite samples… no, the last thing she needed was another problem. It wasn't that big of a deal anyway. It had been a long day of training and he was a tired. It was probably just his mind playing tricks on him or something. He passed another map in the stairwell. Rex stopped and turned back. Upon reaching the map, he slid the paper out of its plastic protective covering, folded it up, and stuck it in his back pocket. Providence was a big –no, huge- place, everyone got lost every now and then. No harm in being prepared, right?

Noah was already shooting hoops by the time Rex walked onto the court.

"Dude, where have you been? I made it here ages ago! I thought _nooooobody_ beat you at a race?" Noah said sarcastically. Rex rolled his eyes and took his jacket off.

"I, uh… there was a holdup…"

"Six get ahold of you or somethin'?" Noah questioned.

"Yea, ran into him."

"Oh, what'd he want this time?" he asked.

"Well… Nothing much, really…just training. He wanted to talk about today's training lesson." Rex mumbled.

"Ohhhh," Noah groaned. "Man, he really gets on you for that. Then again, it _is_ kind of his thing… ah well, no biggie. Here." Noah tossed a soda across the court, having bought the drinks anyway. Rex caught the beverage and snapped it open, taking a huge gulp of the carbonated beverage.

"Thanks." Rex smiled, setting the drink down. He grabbed a spare basketball and ran onto the court, leaving his troubled thoughts behind.

010101010101010101010101010

It didn't take Rex long to figure out what was happening to him. Holiday had told him that another amnesic episode was going to happen, and that they would cross that bridge together when the time came. But Rex wasn't stupid; he knew that that was just an optimistic way of saying she had no idea what to do. Holiday was a nanite scientist, not a psychiatrist.

It wasn't what he thought it would be like. He figured that one day he would just wake up and suddenly –nothing. His memories would be gone. His friends would take care of him and help him forge new memories, all while kicking evo butt. Or something.

But this… this was so much worse.

He could practically feel his mind slipping through his fingers.

Rex was running out of time; every day it was something else taken from him. Sometimes, if he was lucky, things would come back. He could remember how to use the elevator again, or where his socks kept disappearing to (laundry room!). But only after a fierce and exhausting concentration session, which left him with a killer migraine. And the next day it would be gone again.

He thought a lot about what to do. He could go to Holiday, Six, Noah… heck, even White and ask for help. But then again, what could they do? Holiday said it was practically inevitable. Even if they brought in a specialist, he doubted it would do any good. They pretty much tried everything when he was younger, and nothing worked. Rex felt like he was losing a piece of himself every time he forgot something. Personalities are based somewhat on life experiences, and if he kept forgetting his life, then what was happening to his personality? To whom he really was?

If this whole amnesia thing was really impossible to stop, then Rex wanted to enjoy every last moment he had with his 'family'. He didn't want to be analyzed and scrutinized every waking moment, and he didn't want others walking on eggshells around him either. He didn't want them to worry. So he decided to deal with it on his own.

It was easier to handle when he was alone; he could just shrug it off and move on. But when he was with people… well, it got complicated. They would ask questions and get impatient, and every time Rex would fumble with a weak excuse or comeback. Whoops, lost track of time.' 'Sorry, I've got a headache.' 'Not everyone has to follow your schedule!' He hated the constant questions. He hated lying to them. He hated how he felt. They're his family, they deserved better, they deserved…

They deserved to be happy.

Rex would do anything to keep them happy and worry-free. Anything. So he planned everything out. If it got so bad to the point that he couldn't hide it anymore, he would run. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened, and Rex was sure they wouldn't suspect anything more than a simple 'road trip'. Rex had a backpack filled with extra clothes, non-perishable food, money, a map, and whatever else he thought he would need if he had to go. He wrote down (in case he forgot) the best time to leave, and the quickest, quietest way to do so. And to finish it off, he wrote a quick note to be left on his bed; the closest thing to a 'goodbye' as he could get. It just depended how long he could last. It could be a week, a month, or a year. But whenever it happened, he would be ready.

The only thing he didn't count on was a green-suited agent standing in his way.

* * *

Love it? Hate it? Constructive criticism? Opinions? Things you wanna see more of? Review folks! :) Thanks for reading.


	2. The Last Week

WOW EVERYBODY! Thanks for all the reviews! They are seriously inspiring! I think you'll really love this chapter (theres more six lol). Since ill be gone for a while, i made it 3k words to tide you over :)

and check this out: luckynesu dot deviantart dot com slash art slash Don-t-forget-to-say-goodbye-198260739 its some AMAZING art based on this story! thanks again, Luckynesu!

a few reviews to answer (cuz i couldnt reply/wanted others to see the answer):  
Jessk - Not at all, i love suggestions! though i wasnt able to fit your suggestion in this chapter, i think you'll love the next one. :)  
sendatsu - yup, like Alzheimer's, but with a twist (you'll find out in a few chaps)! glad you like it so far!  
Everyone else - THANK YOU!

Enjoy!

* * *

A few weeks after the elevator incident, Rex knew he would need his own room.

Now, Bobo wasn't always the greatest roommate, with all the late night pranks and obnoxious snoring, but even he was surprised when Rex put in the request. Sure, he had been yelled at and thrown out a couple of times, but for Rex to deny him a place to stay? Not in a million years would he have imagined it. At first, the monkey thought it was just a bad joke. But when Rex persisted, Bobo felt a little hurt.

Was the kid really that annoyed with him? Bobo went through a mental checklist of what pranks he pulled on the boy lately, and couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary. Just to be careful, he cut back on the jokes, and stayed out of Rex's hair. But the boy kept pestering White for his own room. Bobo even 'lowered' himself to an apology for whatever he might have done. Rex insisted that it had nothing to do with him. Bobo begged to differ; it was about _him_ moving out after all.

After a week of constant nagging, White finally caved and arranged for Bobo to get new quarters. He ended up with an old supply closet that smelled like bleach down the hall from Rex. Six mentioned something about teenage boys needing their privacy, but the monkey wasn't buying it. He just angrily wrote it off as Rex being a jerk and left it at that. Bobo would have to think twice about hanging with that brat from now on. If Rex didn't want him around, then he wouldn't be.

Rex felt horrible about making Bobo leave, but there wasn't much else he could do. Bobo had started to pick up on some of the hints he left himself around the room, and Rex couldn't risk being discovered. The first night he had alone, Rex sealed the room's only window shut with his nanites. He couldn't have a repeat of last week…

01010101010101010101 ~ _1 week ago_

His old nightmares were starting up again. He had been waking up around 4am nearly every night, drenched in sweat and holding back his blood-curdling screams. Rex never could recall the content of his dreams, only the overwhelming emotions tied to them. Fear, panic, terror… they were all there, ripping what little coherent thought he had at that hour to shreds. He could cope with it on most nights; hold back a scream, try not to wake Bobo… But one night it just became too much.

Rex's eyes shot open. He had a death grip on his tangled sheet, and was struggling to control his breathing. Fear was running amuck his mind, and Rex was struggling to fight it. The familiar thick fog had settled in his brain, clearing the path for anxiety to take over. All he knew was that he had to get out of there. '_Run_.' Shaking, he crept out of bed and stood in the pitch black room. Rex was painfully aware of every noise he made as he went towards the only light source: the window. '_Run_!' They were 5 stories up. Rex looked down at the windowsill for a moment, wondering if this was right. A loud snore erupted from behind him, scaring away whatever logic he had left. '_RUN!' _He threw open the window and jumped.

He actually made it a few miles away with his boogie pack before he realized what was going on. Rex was stunned that it took him this long to come to his senses. He had been flying in nothing but a pair of shorts for at least 15 minutes. Rex's teeth began to chatter in the freezing night air. It was starting to rain, and if he didn't get back soon, he would definitely catch a cold.

He had one heck of a time explaining to Bobo why he was climbing through the window half naked at 4 in the morning.

010101010101010101010 ~ _Sunday Night_

And thus began the remodeling of his room.

Rex stayed up all night long. Drawers were labeled, games were hunted down, and door codes were changed. He folded his clothes and picked up the trash, whatever it took to make it easier to find things. Holiday would totally flip if she saw him organizing his room.

Rex went over his daily routine. Though on most days his schedule was pretty random, there were some things that never changed. Showering in the morning, what he would wear and where to find it, and when and where to get breakfast; to name a few. He wrote down every detail, every step he could remember, and then ran through it all. Often he would get stuck; something that didn't make sense or felt wrong would cause him to stop and think for a while. 10 minutes later, he would have the answer, along with a pounding headache.

Sticky notes were his weapon of choice in this game. Rex had snuck into Providence's office sector and made off with a few multicolored pads of paper and a sharpie, of which he intended to put to use. As he painfully recalled the missing pieces of his day, Rex jotted down a reminder on a note and stuck it somewhere useful on the wall. Rex was going to make everything run smoothly…even if he needed a little nudging and reminding in the right direction.

Finally, at 6:54am, Rex flopped onto his bed, not even bothering with a blanket. He was asleep almost instantaneously, his mind completely exhausted from working through all those mental blocks.

And at 7am sharp, his alarm clock sprang to life, ripping the young teen from his short, blissful rest. Rex groaned and blindly searched for his clock with one hand. Upon finding it, he slammed his fist on the snooze button, getting a note stuck to himself in the process. He cracked one eye open to take a look.

_Training practice with Six, _  
_8am. Get ready, be early._

Rex grabbed his clock and threw it against the wall. He could tell this was the start of a terrible week.

0101010101010101010 ~ _Monday_

Six scolded him for arriving late to training, and Rex just sat there and took it. He couldn't tell the agent the truth; that he had gotten lost again. So, he simply absorbed the agent's words. Or word, actually.

A soon as Rex had run through the doors, he scanned the room for his mentor. Six was standing near the control panel with Bobo, cleaning his high-tech blades. As Rex walked up to him, he made a show of putting his weapons away and turning towards the clock. The agent didn't even bother to look back at the teen.

"Run."

Rex sighed and entered the huge training room. Running was the punishment for being late to training. And not just a lap or two, either; it was a solid 5 miles. Rex seriously hated running; he felt it was pointless if he could make his own hover-cycle whenever he needed to go somewhere. It was probably why Six made him do it.

He wasn't allowed to stop at any time during the run either. Time lost resting was time lost training. Six allowed Bobo to shoot at Rex if his feet weren't moving; a rule that Bobo was making use of quite often today. Rex imagined it had something to do with kicking the primate out of their room. Rex knew Bobo would never actually hit him, but he didn't want to replace his favorite jacket either. The monkey was a wicked shot; he could leave scorch marks and singed ends it he wanted to.

Rex was really wishing he had skipped breakfast now.

01010101010101010 ~ _Tuesday_

Tuesdays were pretty 'blah' days for Rex. They were after the worst day of the week, and seemed to drag on forever. So, what better to do than kill some time with his best friend?

Rex threw on his jacket as he was running out the main doors of Providence. Let's see, they could swim in the lake, shoot some hoops, play some video games, bust out the nerf guns… eat pizza for dinner…

Rex rubbed his eyes. His thoughts were getting kinda fuzzy. He ran a hand through his hair to try and clear his thoughts, and glanced around the parking lot. Rex bit his lip.

Was he just getting back from Noah's, or just leaving?

Rex tried to focus on his situation, but came up blank. He wasn't going to remember anything today. Sighing, he turned around and walked back through the main doors. If he had left Noah's and then went back, Noah would know something was up. But if he didn't go, he was safe. So, doing nothing was the plan.

This day really was going to drag on forever.

01010101010101010101 ~ _Wednesday_

Holiday had asked him to stop by her office at 3pm sharp today for his weekly biometric scans. Rex kinda thought this was a pointless act; they were always at 100%, his nanite count would be within the limits, and he would feel absolutely fine. But still, the good doctor persisted.

Holiday had been crammed with work for the past few months. Providence had finally gotten ahold of the nanite samples from the 'Bug Jar' she so desperately wanted, and she was taking full advantage of it. Holiday would often pull all-nighters and fall asleep during meetings the next day. Luckily, she was given a temporary secretary to keep her lab time, sleep schedule, and 'extremely important meetings with other world-famous researchers' on time. Too bad they couldn't keep Rex on time as well.

He walked in at 5:18pm (ran out of sticky notes), and expected one of Holiday's 'responsibility speeches' and a few sarcastic remarks. But he wasn't prepared for the wrath the woman would inflict upon him today.

Rex's ears were still ringing when he finally escaped.

010101010101010101010 ~ _Thursday_

Training became unbearably difficult as the week went on. Rex could feel that he was missing a few key strategies and techniques while out there on the floor, and it was starting to show. He was getting whooped by the easiest of evos at the basic level setting; what they usually run for warm-ups in the mornings.

Six was quickly growing impatient. After another 20 minutes of watching Rex get chucked back and forth in the room, the agent ended the simulation. Bobo was not-so-quietly enjoying the whole spectacle.

"Look, chief, it that was _too_ challenging for ya, we've got a kiddie pool in the next room, goldfish an' all!" he teased. Rex rolled his eyes and dusted himself off. Six walked past the two.

"Bobo, review short-range weapon techniques with Rex. Rex, run." The boy groaned and let himself fall back to the ground.

Bobo grinned. "Aye aye, capt'n. Rule #1," the monkey turned to the kid and whipped out his blaster. "Never leave yourself open."

010101001010101010101 ~_ Friday_

Tuesdays were pretty 'blah' days for Rex. They were after the worst day of the week, and seemed to drag on forever. So, what better to do than…

Wait, what day was it again?

010101010101010101001 ~_ Saturday_

He couldn't believe it. It had finally gotten... gotten…

Rex was shocked when it happened. Why, _why_ couldn't he—

What was Six thinking right now? Did he call Holiday? Did he even notice? It was so sudden this time; there was nothing Rex could do to stop it. It was a subtle, but massively, _massively_ huge problem.

Six was always attentive to detail. Always. Of course he noticed. He knew, and there was nothing Rex could do to make him UN-know, or whatever. This was bad. If Six knew about Rex's memory lapses, then everything was down the drain. His plan to leave would be ruined. Six would send an army after him should he disappear now.

Wait wait wait, maybe he was getting ahead of himself here. There was still some small chance that Six doesn't know. Could Rex even get that lucky? The plan would still work...

He hadn't seen Six since that conversation by the elevators. Yea, Rex froze up. Yea, it was awkward. But his excuse wasn't that bad... There was a chance. He had to try.

Rex sprinted towards his room, pushing past officers and scientists leisurely walking by. He jammed his door code in and slammed the door shut. Reaching under his bed, Rex pulled out his pre-packed backpack and unzipped the front pocket. After a moment of digging, he found the note, and placed gently on his bed. He didn't think it would be this soon.

Rex stared at the scrap of paper for a moment. It was as close to a 'goodbye' as he could manage without raising suspicions. This was it. After this, he would be completely alone in the world. He was finally forced to leave the only family he could remember behind. Rex clutched his backpack to his chest, and settled down cross legged on the floor.

Rex thought about his friends. He remembered when he first met Six on the battlefield (_he was so epic_), and when Holiday first took him for lunch when he was new to Providence _(tried for that_ _'real date' ever since_). Rex's chest tightened and throat felt funny at the very thoughts. He recalled trying to pull pranks on Six with Bobo (_always failed, except that one time with the pudding_), and the numerous games of basketball he and Noah played (_lost every single one_). Rex's vision was getting blurry.

Rex didn't know what losing someone felt like. How could he? He had no memory before Providence found him. But now that he had friends, a _family_…

Everything hurt.

For the first time since he could remember, Rex cried.

01010101010101010 ~ _Present_

Rex cleaned himself up and slung his backpack over his shoulder. It was now or never. He calmly opened his door and walked out into the hall, mustering up a small, fake smile. He made a right turn- towards the exit if he was reading the map correctly- and ran straight into Six.

Of course.

Honestly, Rex thought he would make it further than 2 steps before running into a problem.

The agent stared emotionlessly at the teen. "Rex." He paused momentarily as he noticed the backpack on Rex's shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"

Rex fumbled with his words. "Uh, hey there…I just called Noah's house; he's expecting me over at his place. He said it's all right if I spend the night."There was a moment of silence between the two. Rex was so sure Six was here to haul him away to Holiday.

"Oh. Is that what you had to call him about?" Six questioned. Rex had to stop himself from breathing a huge sigh of relief. Six actually bought that excuse earlier! Rex was beyond lucky today. When he froze up with Six earlier, the only excuse he could think of was Noah. The agent was usually lenient when it came to hanging out with his friend, probably because he enjoyed the time off from watching Rex. And so, he told Six he had forgotten to call Noah.

"Yea, he just asked his mom, she's cool with it."

Six raised an eyebrow. "I doubt she's 'cool' with it, Rex."

"Huh? No, she is. I've talked with her before; she doesn't have a problem with me," Rex persisted.

"No, Rex. She's not 'cool' with it, because you never called Noah. He's been here waiting for you in the gym for over an hour."

Rex felt the blood drain from his face. Oh, crap. Noah. Noah was coming today. How could he have forgotten? He only wrote himself like eight sticky notes…

"So, are you going to tell me why you're lying to my face?" Rex winced at the agent's sharp tone. There was no getting out of this one. "Okay, I lied. Sorry. I just remembered there was something I had to do, and lost track of time. Noah'll forgive me." How ironic; Rex was using remembering as an excuse.

Six curled his hands into fists. He hated a long list of things, but lying was pretty close to the top. "Lie to me one more time, Rex, and you'll be running laps for a month." Rex bit his lip and looked down at the ground. He could practically feel Six's death glare through those sunglasses.

"Let's start with Noah, since he's still waiting in the gym. When were you supposed to meet him, and why weren't you there?"

Rex sighed. "Well, I was gonna' be there at s—" His eyes grew wide. Ah, crap.

Agent Six tilted his head slightly. Rex had frozen up the same way when they were talking earlier. It's almost like he turned to stone. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder to try and snap him out of it.

"The time, Rex. When were you going to meet Noah?" Rex stared at the agent, defeat written all over his face. Six took a moment to consider how this conversation and the previous one had played out. Rex was acting so strange. He looked for any similarities, any—Oh.

_Oh_.

He grasped both of Rex's shoulders and made the teen look him in the eyes. He took a slow, deep breath.

"Rex." There was a short pause as Six thought of the best way to ask the question. "What is my name?" Rex bit his lip. He ran the simple word through his head, recalling the hundreds of times he'd used it before. 3 letters, one syllable; a basic number. It was such an easy word.

"Agent S-, See-, Siuuk- …" The letters came tumbling out of his mouth, rough and unformed.

Rex had forgotten the pronunciation.

Six swallowed his emotions and calmly walked Rex towards the elevators. He didn't want to upset the kid any more than he already was. "We're going to see Holiday. Now."

In retrospect, pushing Rex to ride the shuttle elevators probably wasn't the greatest idea.

* * *

And that wraps up chapter 2! Thanks for reading!


	3. Disfunctional

Oh my gosh! Update! Yes! I've wanted to write this one for ages, but life kept getting in the way. there was so much i wanted to fit into this chapter, i hope it doesnt jump around too much. and holy dialogue, batman! ive never written so much talking. but it was all quite fun to do. I actually had to write this backwards, for whatever reason i just couldn't start it from the beginning. how bizzare.

WOW, These reviews! So many! What is this i dont even...!  
They are so inspiring and kind! thank you all so much for taking the time to leave me a review! i really appreciate each and every one i recieve!  
for the sake of me going to bed because i have work early tomorrow morning, i wont single out any reviews. However, I did notice many of you asked what kind of pairing this fic is. i wish i could answer that, but until i see how everything plays out, im not quite sure yetl. id like it to be a six/rex pair, but its kinda leaning towards friends or father/son... Well, when i know, you'll know. :)

Enjoy!

* * *

Six led the distraught boy to the elevators, biting his tongue to hold back the numerous questions bouncing around his head. Rex was clearly having some cognitive difficulties, but to what extent? How long had this been going on? What else had been affected? The agent quieted his thoughts and tried to focus on the current situation. Rex was with him, physically fine, and the proper help was less than a minute away with the shuttle elevators. His questions could wait until Holiday had a chance to examine him.

And that's when Noah found them.

"REX!"

The teen winced at his friend's livid tone. The blond-haired boy ran up to the duo, clearly upset and ready to chew Rex out for missing their game... again. Rex turned around to face Noah, apologetic smile on his face. Noah wasn't buying it. This was the last straw.

"I can't believe you! I waited for nearly 2 hours in that gym!"

"Noah, dude, I—"

"It took two buses and a bike ride for me to get here, and you didn't even bother to show up!"

"Noah," Six interjected, trying to stop this scene before things got messy. Noah boldly held up a hand to stop the agent from continuing.

"You've gotta be kidding me. You've been ditching me for the past _month_, Rex. Why?"

Six glanced at Rex. A month? This has been going on for a month? Why didn't he say anything…

Rex looked at the ground, ashamed. There was absolutely nothing he could tell his friend without revealing the truth; not one excuse he could use honestly. Rex remained silent.

In the chaos of everything that had been going on, he had completely neglected Noah. All the basketball games, planned hang-outs, missed calls and texts… they had really added up. Rex knew that Noah understood that Providence work came first, but there's no way everything he'd missed could be blamed on Providence. It looked like Rex was avoiding him on purpose, although it couldn't have been any farther from the truth.

"Wow. Not even going to try. Right." Noah sighed, hand on his forehead in frustration. If Rex was going to be a jerk, so could he. " It's easy to see why Providence had to hire someone to be your friend. Look at how you treat the only one you've got."

Six wanted to stay out of it, but he knew this needed to stop before it got out of hand. "That's enough—"

Noah looked down, hands clenched into fists. "For a while there, I really thought we were friends. But if you have to constantly make up excuses to avoid seeing me, then I must've been wrong. It looks like this is just a job after all."

Something in Rex just snapped at Noah's comment. Six watched in amazement as Rex's posture, expression, mood- heck, his entire aura -did a complete 180-degree flip. Rex went from depressed to furious in under 3 seconds.

"A _job!_? I'm sorry we all don't live in your perfect little world, Noah! There are other things going on than just what's on your agenda!"

"_My_ agenda? You must be losing it, because I've been out here every time _you_ called!"

"Look, if you can't handle not being at the center of the universe for a few hours, then maybe you should find somewhere else to hang!"

"Know what, maybe I should—"

"Wow! An original thought for once! I was beginning to think you couldn't function without White telling you ho—"

"I QUIT!"

Noah's comment hit Rex like a brick.

"…Wh-what?"

Noah stormed down the hall, picking any direction away from his so-called friend.

Rex was stunned. What the heck had just happened? One moment he was so unbelievably sorry, the next he wanted to punch Noah in the face. He hadn't meant any of it.

But no matter what he meant to say, the damage was done. Rex moved to follow Noah, but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. The agent looked down at the upset teen, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Let him cool down for a while. It'll be fine."

Rex replayed the last few moments in his head. Those words kept repeating over and over; 'I quit', 'I quit', 'I quit'. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. Rex began to get dizzy as his thoughts started slipping in and out of focus. He could feel another episode falling into place, but this one was… different. For the first time, Rex was glad to have someone with him while his mind blanked-out.

While Rex was dazed, Six took the opportunity to lead the boy into the elevator, making sure they were the only ones aboard. It would be a quick, quiet ride to Holiday's lab, and then they could start untangling this mess. Six took a moment to send out an order via communicator for any of his agents to intercept Noah and keep him on base. As an afterthought, he also ordered them to stop him from contacting White. That would help keep Rex's current situation under wraps, and prevent a new one from being made later.

Almost immediately after he finished sending the message, Rex began to act strangely. He started swaying; at first Six thought it was to the elevator music, but when Rex stumbled and leaned up against the wall, the agent knew something was up. Six turned to help Rex, who blinked a few times and regained his balance. His eyes were glazed over, and he seemed to be confused. Six asked if he was alright, but received no reply. It was like Rex didn't even realize where he was.

The teen was calm at first, mumbling to himself quietly. Six tried to make out what he was saying, but from what he could hear it sounded like complete nonsense.

Six asked again. "Rex? What—"

Rex snapped out of his stupor, gasping as if he had been holding his breath. Realizing where he was, the teen panicked and death-gripped the small railing in the elevator.

"-topstopStopSTOP!"

Before Six had a chance to react to the frightened teen, Rex let go of the railing and formed his smack-hands. The agent ducked out of the way of the massive machines, which took up most of the room in the small elevator. Just as Rex was about to pummel the door down, a little 'bing' echoed throughout the cabin, indicating their arrival. Unfortunately, that didn't stop Rex.

The elevator doors exploded into the hallway, narrowly missing some nearby Providence officers. Rex leapt through the busted frame of the elevators, deconstructing his machines and collapsing to his knees. Six quickly stepped out of the elevators and observed the scene: no one seemed to be injured, damage was limited to the doors and some cracked tiles… He could cover this up.

The officers and scientists gawked at the sight before them. Six cleared his throat.

"Technical difficulties. Nothing to be concerned about. Resume your duties." And just like that, the crowd dispersed; running back to whatever it was that they got paid to do. Six just had that effect on people. When he spoke, _everybody_ listened. God save them should they ignore one of his orders.

The agent made his way over to Rex, who was sitting against the wall, head in his hands. Six knelt down to the boy's level, closely watching every move he made.

"I didn't mean to—"

"I know."

"I just couldn't—I'm sorry—"

"I know."

"When did we—It was so fast—"

"I know."

"I… I could've _hurt_ someone—"

"Rex. Look at me."

The teen stopped tugging on his hair and looked up at the agent.

"It's okay."

Rex crumpled at the older man's words, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes.

"It is so not okay! Look at what happened. I could've hurt someone!"

Rex looked over at his backpack, carelessly tossed out of the elevator. "I thought I could just… just _go_ one day, anywhere, and it'd be okay. But if I _hurt_ someone…"

Rex couldn't finish his sentence. It really was game over. He couldn't run. If he had another episode like this, he could seriously injure people. Or worse. Providence was probably the only place on earth that could restrain him should something like this ever happen again. But staying meant suffering through this process; his family watching him slowly fade away. There really was no solution.

Six offered his hand to his charge, and after a moment Rex took it. The two stood up; Rex nursing a throbbing migraine from the whole situation. Six put a hand behind the teens back to steady him, and the two began their walk to Holiday's lab.

"I will never let that happen, Rex."

10101010101010101010101

The two walked into Holidays lab, where the good doctor was working furiously. Six led Rex over to the examination table and had the kid take a seat. They watched as Holiday ran from computer to equipment and back again, with no less than 6 test tubes in her hands. Papers and data-pads were spread everywhere around her workspace, and she had at least 5 different communication links running at once to keep her connected with other labs. She didn't even notice the pair walk in.

Six walked up to the main computer and calmly shut down the communication programs one by one. Holiday nearly dropped her test tubes.

"Six! What on Earth do you think you're doing?"

Six continued strolling through the lab, escorting the other personnel out and instructing them to take a good, long break.

"I'm in the middle of an extremely time-sensitive experiment here!"

The agent continued on his path, stopping at the computer to disable the recording devices in the lab, including the security cameras.

"Look, whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait."

He finally stopped at the main door, shutting and locking it.

Holiday sighed. There was no stopping him when he got like this. "Six. These new samples could help us develop a treatment for the incurable evo's. You know how important this project is to me."

"We've got bigger problems right now."

Holiday let his words sink in for a moment. Glancing around her lab, she noticed Rex for the first time since he arrived. She crossed her arms in annoyance.

"I realize the importance of teaching Rex about punctuality, but I still think my specimens take precedence right now."

Six let her weak sarcasm blow past him. "When was the last time Rex had a full examination?"

Holiday brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she recalled the boy's schedule. "Let's see… He gets a 'head-to-toe' full exam once a month, nanite samples taken every two weeks, his overload level checked once a week, and the biometric readings are constantly running." She quickly glanced through a chart on the main computer. "Actually, it was his full exam that he missed last week, so it's been over a month. Why?"

"Have you seen any strange results in any other tests? Even the slightest change?"

"Nothing. He's always been just fine on his full exam, so I didn't see a problem just letting it slide until next week." Holiday worriedly glanced at the teen sitting on the table. "Six, what's going on?"

Six walked up to Holiday and put his hands on her shoulders, making sure Rex was out of earshot.

"He's starting to forget things, Holiday."

The doctor's face paled. "_What_? So soon! Are you sure? How much—how fast—when—" Six put a finger on her lips to hush her, afraid that Rex would overhear.

"According to Noah, maybe a month. So far, I know he's forgotten certain events and places. He's also had trouble with my name twice today."

"He forgot it?"

Six thought for a moment. "No, he knew it. But he couldn't say it."

Holiday started biting her lip. Pronunciation was part of the procedural memory, or 'muscle memory'. That part of the brain basically recalls how to physically perform a specific task, such as playing the piano, without requiring intense focus. His retrograde amnesia shouldn't have affected his muscle memory at all…

Rex's memory loss wasn't recurring; it was getting _worse_.

"If this continues, Six…"

The agent finished her sentence. "We may lose everything. The 'cure'… and Rex."

Holiday took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This was not happening.

"Heeey, I'm still here you know! I can tell you're whispering stuff back there!" Rex shouted across the room. Holiday smiled a bit. At least Rex was still Rex for now.

"I'll need to get started immediately. CAT scans, EEG's, a _very_ detailed report of anything that's happened in the past 2 months, not to mention the basic nanite tests, possibly a sleep study… I almost don't know where to begin…" Holiday scooped up a data pad and began listing and preparing the numerous different tests. She ran a few fingers through her hair. "Six, I can't do this alone. If I inform any lab assistants about this, there's a chance they'll blab to White. And if he finds out his 'secret weapon' is malfunctioning, there no telling what he'll have done to keep Rex… operational."

"Holiday, you know I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good. It looks like you'll be my new undercover lab assistant then," she smiled.

"Just give me basic directions."

"And my undercover mole."

"Nothing gets to White before it goes through my ears."

"And undercover… excuse-creator, I suppose."

"I've been doing that since Rex got here."

"And undercover—"

"Holiday," Six stopped her. "I've been doing this job a lot longer than you think. I know what needs to happen for this to run smoothly." Holiday sighed, and looked up at the agent. This had to work.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Rex shouted in the background. The two turned around and slowly headed back across the room to Rex.

"I'll call Bobo in here; he'll need to know what's going on." Six whispered.

"Please tell me that's a joke."

Six looked at her seriously. "I can't help you, monitor communications, and watch Rex at the same time."

Holiday made a face. "I don't think he'll be anywhere near as observant or careful as we'll need him to be."

Six adjusted his shades. "It'll only be when I'm not with him, which won't be very often. Besides, Bobo's the only one around here who's free 24-7. And he can keep his mouth shut."

Holiday straightened out her lab coat. "We can't leave Rex alone anymore. At all. He's going to hate that, you know."

"He'll deal."

The two approached Rex, who had gotten into his backpack and pulled out his red ball to bounce off the wall. The teen winced as Holiday pulled out a needle and a few scanners.

"Consider today payback for making me miss those meetings," Holiday said with a smirk. "You're gonna be hanging out with us for the next 12 hours."

Rex groaned and laid back onto the table. It was going to be a very long evening.

1010101010101010101

"The persistent tardiness, weak training sessions…And all this time I thought you were just getting lazy." Six muttered. Rex stuck out his tongue at the agent and grabbed his goggles, pulling off a few wires still attached to his head. "Me? Lazy? Come on, now." The Agent raised an eyebrow at the teen. "Ok, ok! Maybe just a little." Rex's smile faded. He tried to keep the details to a minimum, but they were sure intent on prying out every single problem he was having. They just never stopped asking questions!

"One more question—"

"Last! One!" Rex interjected.

Six looked the teen in the eye. "Why didn't you let us know?"

Rex was quiet for a long time, thinking carefully about how to answer. "I don't know." He looked down at the ground. Counting the floor tiles seemed to be a recurring theme today for Rex. "I knew what would eventually happen, and I just didn't want you to worry away the time we had left."

Six and Holiday were shocked at Rex's statement. Bobo was the first to make a comeback. "You go out there an' risk your life fightin' evos 10 times your size on a daily basis, an' _now_ you think we're worried? Where've you been, kid?"

Rex scratched the back of his head, at a complete loss for words. Suddenly, an alarm sliced through the silence in the lab, jolting the group from their conversation. Holiday rushed the lab's main computer, quickly typing in codes on the massive keyboard. A moment later, multiple windows popped up on the screen. The doctor speed-read a few, and swiftly turned around to face the group.

"We've got reports of an evo downtown. Six, do you think you can handle it on your own?" Holiday asked.

"Whaaat? Seriously, Doc?" Rex hopped off the table and threw on his jacket.

Six's eyebrow twitched. "Don't even start. You're not going. If you fight anything like how you've been training lately, you'll just slow me down."

Rex huffed and crossed his arms. "Hey now, I haven't been that bad! I'm sure on the battlefield it'll all come rushing back." Bobo and Six glanced at each other, clearly unconvinced. "Right, kid. And I'm gonna grow wings and fly to the moon." Bobo grunted sarcastically.

"Hey, anything's possible with nanites." Rex grinned. Bobo sighed and rubbed his temples. The kid was gonna be difficult today.

"Stay here with Holiday until I return. I mean it." The agent moved towards the door. Rex rolled his eyes and ran a few steps to catch up to him, ever-defiant. Six swiftly whipped out a katana and blocked his path, not even bothering to turn around. Rex skidded to a stop, shocked.

"Stay. Put."

A tense moment passed where neither of them moved. Finally, Rex took a small step back, distancing himself from his partner's sword. Six waited a moment longer before skillfully folding up his weapon and dashing out the door.

Once the Agent was gone, Rex stormed out of the lab. They were partners! They were supposed to fight back to back! And yet here he was, being treated like a child. The teen ran to the nearest staircase, ignoring the calls from Bobo and Dr. Holiday. He was his own person, and he could make his own decisions.

Rex grinned. He always did have a problem following orders.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


End file.
